Self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer

ABSTRACT

A trailer includes a frame, wheel assemblies for supporting the frame on a surface, a gooseneck assembly mounted at the front of the frame, and a bed pivotally attached to the rear of the frame. Part of the bed extends rearwardly beyond the rear of the frame, and hydraulic cylinders are provided for pivoting the bed between a horizontal position and an inclined position in which the rear of the bed engages the surface. A hydraulic winch is mounted on the frame and a cable extends from the winch first rearwardly to a pulley mounted at the rear of the frame, then forwardly to a pulley mounted at the front of the bed and finally rearwardly along the top of the bed. An engine and a hydraulic pump are mounted within the gooseneck assembly and function to supply pressurized hydraulic fluid for operating the cylinders and the winch.

United States Patent 91 Taylor [54] SELF-CONTAINED GOOSENECK DUMPING-TRAILER [76] Inventor: Robert S. Taylor, 2526 Cartwright,

Dallas, Tex.

[22] Filed: Apr.21, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 135,936

111 3,724,695 [451 Apr. 3, 1973 Primary Examiner-Albert J. MakayAttorney-Richards, Harris & Hubbard 57 ABSTRACT A trailer includes aframe, wheel assemblies for supporting the frame on a surface, agooseneck assembly mounted at the front of the frame, and a bedpivotally attached to the rear of the frame. Part of the bed ex tendsrearwardly beyond the rear of the frame, and hydraulic cylinders areprovided for pivoting the bed between a horizontal position and aninclined position in which the rear of the bed engages the surface. Ahydraulic winch is mounted on the frame and a cable extends from thewinch first rearwardly to a pulley mounted at the rear of the frame,then forwardly to a pulley mounted at the front of the bed and finallyrearwardly along the top of the bed. An engine and a hydraulic pump aremounted within the gooseneck assembly and function to supply pressurizedhydraulic fluid for operating the cylinders and the winch.

9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPR 3 I975 SHEET 1 1F 2 FIG.I

INVEN TOR ROBERT S. TAYLOR FIG. 2

ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAPR 3 ms SHEET 2 BF 2 NM NV.

m mzm INVENTOR ROBERT S. TAYLOR ATTORNEYS SELF-CONTAINED GOOSENECKDUMPING TRAILER BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to a self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer, and moreparticularly to a self-loading dumping trailer adapted fortransportation by relatively light duty vehicles, such as pickup trucksand the like.

Recently, considerable research activity has been directed toward refuseremoval systems. Many of the systems that have resulted from this effortinvolve containers which are situated at such locations as apartmenthouses, retail stores, construction sites, etc. for filling by personsliving or working nearby. The containers are periodically emptied byvehicles that transport the containers from their respective locationsto a refuse disposal site.

I-leretofore, most vehicles capable of transporting and emptying refusecontainers have been adapted for that function only. Such specializationis very beneficial in situations involving a sufficient number of refusecontainers to occupy the services of a vehicle substantially full time.On the other hand, in situations involving only a limited number ofrefuse containers it is desirable that a vehicle be capable ofperforming tasks in addition to transporting and emptying refusecontainers.

The present invention comprises a self-contained gooseneck dumpingtrailer which is especially designed to transport and empty refusecontainers but which is also adapted to load, transport and unload suchdiverse items as LPG tanks, wrecked automobiles, animal carcasses, etc.In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, agooseneck trailer includes a bed supported for movement to an inclinedorientation in which the rear of the bed is positioned to receivearticles. A cable extends rearwardly along the top of the bed and isoperable by a winch to draw articles onto the inclined bed. Thereafter,the bed is returned to a horizontal orientation, and the trailer ispulled by a pickup truck or the like to transport articles on the bed.Preferably, operating power for tilting the bed and for driving thewinch is supplied by an engine mounted within the gooseneck portion ofthe trailer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete understanding of the presentinvention may be had by referring to the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sideview of a self-contained gooseneck dumping trailerincorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the trailer shown in FIG.1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the trailer shown in FIG. 1 in whichcertain of the component parts of the trailer are illustratedschematically.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings, and particularly toFIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a self-contained gooseneck dumpingtrailer incorporating the present invention. The trailer 10 includes aframe 12 comprising a horizontal portion 14 and a gooseneck portion 16.The horizontal portion 14 of the frame 12 is supported on a pair ofconventional wheel and axle assemblies 18. The gooseneck portion 16 ofthe frame 12 is connected to the front of the horizontal portion 14 andis adapted for connection to a light duty vehicle, such as a pickuptruck. The trailer 10 further includes a bed 20 which is supported onthe frame 12 for pivotal movement between the positions shown in fullline and in dashed lines in FIG. 1 under the action of a pair ofhydraulic cylinders 22.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the horizontal portion 14 of the frame 12 ofthe trailer 10 comprises a pair of rigid side beams 24 which extendlongitudinally of the trailer 10 and a plurality of beams 26 whichextend transversely of the trailer 10 between the beams 24. A beam 28also extends transversely between the beams 24, but is located beneaththe beams 26, and serves to support the hydraulic cylinders 22.

The bed 20 is pivotally supported at the rear of the horizontal portion14 of the frame 12 by a pair of pivot pins 29. The bed 20 comprises apair of rigid side beams 30 and a plurality of beams 32 which extendtransversely between the side beams 30. An imperforate article receivingand supporting plate 34 is sup ported on the beams 32 of the bed 20 andextends the entire length and width of the bed 20. In accordance withthe preferred embodiment of the invention, the plate 34 of the bed 20extends substantially rearwardly from the rear of the horizontal portion14 of the frame 12, and therefore engages the surface which supports thetrailer 10 when the bed 20 is in the inclined position shown in FIG. 3.

A hydraulic winch 36 is supported on the frame 12 at the front of thehorizontal portion 14. A cable 38 extends rearwardly from the winch 36through a guide tube 40 supported on the beams 26. The cable 38 thenpasses around a pulley 42 which is pivotally supported on the frame 12at the rear of the horizontal portion 14. From the pulley 42, the cable38 passes through a guide tube 44 supported on the beams 32 of the bed20, and then around a pulley 46 which is pivotally supported at thefront of the bed 20. From the pulley 46, the cable 38 passes rearwardlyalong the top surface of the plate 34 and terminates in a conventionalhook 46. Thus, it will be appreciated that the hydraulic winch 36 isoperable through the cable 38 to move the hook 48 either forwardly orrearwardly relative to the bed 20 of the trailer 111.

As is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the horizontal portion 14 of theframe 12 of the trailer 10 further includes a front beam 50 whichextends transversely of the trailer 10 between the front ends of theside beams 24. The gooseneck portion 16 of the frame 12 includes a pairof beams 52 which extend upwardly from the side beams 24 at pointsaligned with the front beam 50. A pair of beams 54 and 56 extendtransversely between the beams 52, and a pair of beams 58 extendforwardly and inwardly from the upper ends of the beams 52 to anintersection 60 located on the center line of the trailer 10. A member62 extends downwardly from the intersection 60 for connection to a lightduty vehicle such as a pickup truck, or the like. The component parts ofthe gooseneck portion 16 of the frame 12 are preferably reinforced by aplurality of triangular gussets 64.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 2, a conventional landing gear 66 ismounted on the front beam 50 for supporting the front of the frame 12 ofthe trailer whenever the trailer 10 is not connected to a vehicle. Thelanding gear 66 is operated by a crank 68 which is connected to thelanding gear 66 through a drive shaft 70. A conventional internalcombustion engine 72 is mounted on the front beams 50 and drives ahydraulic pump 74 through a flexible coupling (not shown). The beam 56of the gooseneck portion 16 of the frame 12 of the trailer 10 comprisesthe hydraulic fluid reservoir. Thus, upon operation of the internalcombustion engine 72, the hydraulic pump 74 functions to withdrawhydraulic fluid from the beam 56 through a pipe 76 and to forcepressurized hydraulic fluid to a valve block 78 through a pipe 80. Fromthe valve block 78, the hydraulic fluid is returned to the beam 56through a pipe 82 and a filter 84.

The valve body comprises a trio of conventional three position, four wayhydraulic valves 86, each having an operating handle 88. One of thevalves 86 functions to selectively direct pressurized hydraulic fluidfrom the pump 74 either to the rod ends or to the blind ends of thehydraulic cylinders 22, whereby the bed is manipulated between thepositions shown in full line and in dashed lines of FIG. 1. Another ofthe valves 86 controls the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid from thepump 74 to the hydraulic winch 36 and thereby functions to selectivelyextend or retract the hook 48 on the distal of the cable 38 relative tothe bed 20. The third valve of the valve body 78 comprises a spare whichis available to control the flow of hydraulic fluid from the pump 74 toany hydraulic actuator that may be used in conjunction with thegooseneck dumping trailer 10.

In the use of the gooseneck dumping trailer 10, the rear of the bed 20of the trailer 10 is positioned adjacent an object to be transported.Then, the engine 72 is started and the valves 86 of the valve body 78are actuated to raise the bed 20 to the position shown in dashed linesin FIG. 1 and to extend the cable 38. The hook 48 on the distal ends ofthe cable 38 is then connected to the object, whereupon the cable 38 isretracted so that the object is pulled onto the inclined bed 20. The bed20 is then returned to the position shown in full lines in FIG. 1, theengine 72 is stopped, and the object is transported on the trailer byoperation of a light duty vehicle connected to the gooseneck portion 16of the frame 12. When the destination of the object has been reached,the foregoing steps are carried out in reverse order to unload theobject from the gooseneck dumping trailer 10.

Because the plate 34 of the bed 20 is solid throughout its length andwidth, the gooseneck dumping trailer 10 is adapted for thetransportation of a wide variety of articles. For example, the trailer10 can be employed to load and transport such diverse items as wreckedautomobiles, animal carcasses, and other heavy, bulky items. However,the gooseneck dumping trailer is particularly adapted for the loading,transporting, and dumping of refuse containers of the type employed atsuch locations as construction sites, apartment houses, retail storesand the like. Such a refuse container may be adapted for use withgooseneck dumping trailers incorporating the present invention bymounting at least one roller at one end of the container and providing anormally closed dumping gate at the other end of the container. Then,either when the container is full or at scheduled intervals, thegooseneck dumping trailer 10 is maneuvered to position the rear of thebed 20 adjacent the end of the container having the rollers. Thereafter,the bed 20 is elevated and the hook 48 of the cable 38 is connected tothe container. Then, the winch 36 is operated to pull the container ontothe bed 20, after which the bed 20 is lowered to the position shown infull lines in FIG. 1.

The gooseneck dumping trailer 10 is then transported to a dumping siteby a light duty vehicle, whereupon the dumping gate of the container isopened and the bed 20 of the trailer 10 is pivoted to the position shownin dashed lines in FIG. 1. This permits refuse within the container tospill outwardly therefrom in the manner of a conventional dumptruck.When the container is empty, the bed 20 of the trailer 10 is pivoted tothe position shown in full lines in FIG. 1, after which the dumping gateof the container is closed. The trailer 10 is then employed to transportthe container either to the same or to another refuse disposal site,whereupon the bed 20 is pivoted to the position shown in dashed lines inFIG. 1 and the winch 36 is operated to unload the container from the bed20 by extending the cable 38. Finally, the hook 48 is disconnected fromthe container, whereupon the container is ready to receive refuse.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the present inventioncomprises a self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer which iseconomically manufactured from easily fabricated parts and which issimple and straightforward in operation. Trailers incorporating theinvention are adapted for transportation by light duty vehicles and areespecially useful in loading, transporting, dumping, and unloadingrefuse containers. Other heavy and/or bulky items are also convenientlyloaded, transported, and unloaded by means of self-contained gooseneckdumping trailers incorporating the invention.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustratedin the Drawing and described in the foregoing specification, it will beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the embodimentdisclosed, but is capable of rearrangement, modification, andsubstitution of parts and elements without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer comprising:

a frame including a horizontally extending rear portion and a gooseneckfront portion for attaching the trailer to a towing vehicle;

said gooseneck portion of the frame comprising a pair of beams whichextend vertically upwardly from the front end of the horizontallyextending rear portion of the frame, a pair of beams which extendhorizontally inwardly from the upper ends of the vertically extendingbeams to an intersection, and a member extending downwardly from theintersection of the horizontally extending beams for connection to atowing vehicle;

wheel means for supporting the rear portion of the frame on a surface;

a bed pivotally supported at the rear of the rear portion of the framefor rotation about a horizontal axis, said bed including a portionextending a substantial distance rearwardly from said axis;

a hydraulic actuator connected between the frame and the bed forpivoting the bed between a horizontal position and an inclined positionin which the rear of the bed engages the surface;

a hydraulic winch mounted on the frame;

a cable connected to the winch and extending therefrom along the top ofthe bed for actuation by the winch to draw objects onto the bed when thebed is in the inclined position;

a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid mounted on the front end of thehorizontally extending rear portion of the frame and between thevertically extending beams of the gooseneck front portion thereof, saidsource comprising an internal combustion engine and a hydraulic pumpdriven thereby; and

valve means for selectively directing pressurized hydraulic fluid fromthe source to the hydraulic motor and to the hydraulic winch.

2. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim Ifurther characterized by a first guide tube mounted on the frame andextending from the winch to the rear end of the frame, a first pulleymounted at the rear end of the frame, a second guide tube mounted on theunderside of the bed and extending from the first pulley to the frontend of the bed, and a second pulley mounted at the front end of the bed,and wherein the cable extends from the winch through the first guidetube around the first pulley through the second guide tube around thesecond pulley and along the top of the bed.

3. The selfcontained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 1further including a beam extending horizontally between the upper endsof the vertically extending beams of the gooseneck front portion of theframe, said horizontally extending beam comprising a hydraulic fluidreservoir.

4. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 1wherein the bed includes a portion extending forwardly from the axis andhaving a length substantially equal to the length of the horizontallyextending rear portion of the frame, and wherein the bed is imperforatethroughout its length and width.

5. A self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer comprising:

a horizontal frame having front and rear ends;

wheel means for supporting the rear end of the frame;

a bed having front and rear ends;

means interconnecting the rear end of the frame and a pointsubstantially forward of the rear end of the bed for pivotallysupporting the bed on the frame;

a hydraulic cylinder connected between the frame and the bed forselective actuation to pivot the bed about a horizontal axis;

a hydraulic winch mounted on the frame adjacent the front end thereof;

a first pulley rotatably supported at the rear end of the frame;

a second pulley rotatably supported at the front end of the bed; a cableextending rearwardiy from the winch and around the first pulley, andthen forwardly around the second pulley, and finally rearwardly alongthe top of the bed;

a first guide tube mounted on the frame and extending between the winchand the first pulley for guiding the cable therebetween;

a second guide tube mounted on the bed and extending between the firstpulley and the second pulley for guiding the cable therebetween;

a pair of beams fixed to the front end of the frame and extendingupwardly from the opposite corners thereof;

a pair of beams fixed to the upper ends of the upwardly extending beamsand extending forwardly and inwardly therefrom to an intersection;

a member extending downwardly from the intersection of the forwardly andinwardly extending beams for connection to a towing vehicle;

an internal combustion engine mounted on the front end of the framebetween the upwardly extending beams and beneath the forwardly andinwardly extending beams;

a hydraulic pump mounted on the front end of the frame between theupwardly extending beams and connected to the engine for operationthereby; and

a pair of valves for selective actuation to direct hydraulic fluid fromthe pump to the hydraulic winch and to the hydraulic cylinder.

6. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 5wherein the bed is substantially flat and imperforate throughout itslength and width.

7. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 5wherein the hydraulic cylinder pivots the bed relative to the framebetween a first position wherein the bed extends substantiallyhorizontally and a second position wherein the bed extends angularlyrelative'to the frame and wherein the rear end of the bed is positionedsubstantially beneath the rear end of the frame.

8. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 5wherein the wheel means supports the trailer on a surface, wherein thehydraulic cylinder is operable to tilt the bed relative to the frameuntil the rear end of the bed is positioned substantially in alignmentwith the surface, and wherein the hydraulic winch is thereafter operableto retract the cable and thereby draw objects onto the bed.

9. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 5further including a beam extending between the upper ends of theupwardly extending beams and comprising a hydraulic fluid reservoir.

1. A self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer comprising: a frameincluding a horizontally extending rear portion and a gooseneck frontportion for attaching the trailer to a towing vehicle; said gooseneckportion of the frame comprising a pair of beams which extend verticallyupwardly from the front end of the horizontally extending rear portionof the frame, a pair of beams which extend horizontally inwardly fromthe upper ends of the vertically extending beams to an intersection, anda member extending downwardly from the intersection of the horizontallyextending beams for connection to a towing vehicle; wheel means forsupporting the rear portion of the frame on a surface; a bed pivotallysupported at the rear of the rear portion of the frame for rotationabout a horizontal axis, said bed including a portion extending asubstantial distance rearwardly from said axis; a hydraulic actuatorconnected between the frame and the bed for pivoting the bed between ahorizontal position and an inclined position in which the rear of thebed engages the surface; a hydraulic winch mounted on the frame; a cableconnected to the winch and extending therefrom along the top of the bedfor actuation by the winch to draw objects onto the bed when the bed isin the inclined position; a source of pressurized hydraulic fluidmounted on the front end of the horizontally extending rear portion ofthe frame and between the vertically extending beams of the gooseneckfront portion thereof, said source comprising an internal combustionengine and a hydraulic pump driven thereby; and valve means forselectively directing pressurized hydraulic fluid from the source to thehydraulic motor and to the hydraulic winch.
 2. The self-containedgooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 1 further characterized bya first guide tube mounted on the frame and extending from the winch tothe rear end of the frame, a first pulley mounted at the rear end of theframe, a second guide tube mounted on the underside of the bed andextending from the first pulley to the front end of the bed, and asecond pulley mounted at the front end of the bed, and wherein the cableextends from the winch through the first guide tube around the firstpulley through the second guide tube around the second pulley and alongthe top of the bed.
 3. The self-contained gooseneck dumping traileraccording to claim 1 further including a beam extending horizontallybetween the upper ends of the vertically extending beams of thegooseneck front portion of the frame, said horizontally extending beamcomprising a hydraulic fluid reservoir.
 4. The self-contained gooseneckdumping trailer according to claim 1 wherein the bed includes a portionextending forwardly from the axis and having a length substantiallyequal to the length of the horizontally extending rear portion of theframe, and wherein the bed is imperforate throughout its length andwidth.
 5. A self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer comprising: ahorizontal frame having front and rear ends; wheel means for supportingthe rear end of the frame; a bed having front and rear ends; meansinterconnecting the rear end of the frame and a point substantiallyforward of the rear end of the bed for pivotally supporting the bed onthe frame; a hydraulic cylinder connected between the frame and the bedfor selective actuation to pivot the bed about a horizontal axis; ahydraulic winch mounted on the frame adjacent the front end thereof; afirst pulley rotatably supported at the rear end of the frame; a secondpulley rotatably supported at the front end of the bed; a cableextending rearwardly from the winch and around the first pulley, andthen forwardly around the second pulley, and finally rearwardly alongthe top of the bed; a first guide tube mounted on the frame andextending between the winch and the first pulley for guiding the cabletherebetween; a second guide tube mounted on the bed and extendingbetween the first pulley and the second pulley for guiding the cabletherebetween; a pair of beams fixed to the front end of the frame andextending upwardly from the opposite corners thereof; a pair of beamsfixed to the upper ends of the upwardly extending beams and extendingforwardly and inwardly therefrom to an intersection; a member extendingdownwardly from the intersection of the forwardly and inwardly extendingbeams for connection to a towing vehicle; an internal combustion enginemounted on the front end of the frame between the upwardly extendingbeams and beneath the forwardly and inwardly extending beams; ahydraulic pump mounted on the front end of the frame between theupwardly extending beams and connected to the engine for operationthereby; and a pair of valves for selective actuation to directhydraulic fluid from the pump to the hydraulic winch and to thehydraulic cylinder.
 6. The self-contained gooseneck dumping traileraccording to claim 5 wherein the bed is substantially flat andimperforate throughout its length and width.
 7. The self-containedgooseneck dumping trailer according to claim 5 wherein the hydrauliccylinder pivots the bed relative to the frame between a first positionwherein the bed extends substantially horizontally and a second positionwherein the bed extends angularly relative to the frame and wherein therear end of the bed is positioned substantially beneath the rear end ofthe frame.
 8. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according toclaim 5 wherein the wheel means supports the trailer on a surface,wherein the hydraulic cylinder is operable to tilt the bed relative tothe frame until the rear end of the bed is positioned substantially inalignment with the surface, and wherein the hydraulic winch isthereafter operable to retract the cable and thereby draw objects ontothe bed.
 9. The self-contained gooseneck dumping trailer according toclaim 5 further including a beam extending between the upper ends of theupwardly extending beams and comprising a hydraulic fluid reservoir.